Chapter 1 of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ETC., ETC. "Who is Sylvia? What is she, That all our swains commend her?" "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess. "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
Chapter 1 of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
any person at all
From this reading “"My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.”
express approval of
From this reading “What is she, That all our swains commend her?"”
having gaps or spaces
From this reading “"I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.”
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “"My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.”
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading “"My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “"My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “"My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “"I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
any person at all
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
express approval of
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
having gaps or spaces
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
dearly loved
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ETC., ETC.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who is Sylvia?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who is Sylvia?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm dashed if I do!" said the Princess.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is she, That all our swains commend her?"
which person or people
From this reading "Who is Sylvia?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "My dear--if anyone should hear you!" groaned the Grand Duchess.
Chapter 1 of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 196 sentences of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Adventure of Princess Sylvia by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42357 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42357, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventure of Princess Sylvia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Adventure of Princess Sylvia to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Adventure of Princess Sylvia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
